This customer was looking to add a contemporary deck design to their existing seaside property, with the aim of using a high-quality yet affordable decking product for the task at hand.

Searching online for reputable composite decking supplier, the customer soon discovered DeckPlus. After reading positive reviews, they decided that DeckPlus was the supplier for them.

From there, the customer perused our wide range of composite decking in search of a dynamic design. Modern, stylish and reasonably priced, the FutureDek Silver Birch ticked all the boxes

Soon enough, it was settled: the deck had been purchased, the job had been booked in and it had been made official.

Once on-site, our team of installers set about making this dream deck a reality, wasting little time in getting to work.

In no time at all, the deck was installed, leaving the customer with a stunning, new composite decking area to enjoy the seaside ambience and maritime views in style.

FutureDek Silver Birch Composite Decking

With its natural wood-look design, textured finish and realistic two-tone aesthetic, the FutureDek Silver Birch provides a wonderfully modern take on a classic design.

Its hollow composition also makes it both eco-friendly and budget-friendly, while its composite nature ensures robust durability for a long-lasting effect.

Resistant to stains, fading and abrasions, FutureDek Silver Birch composite decking is built to last and certainly lives up to its name – fundamentally designed to maintain its looks long into the future.

For more information on our wide range of composite decking options – including the FutureDek Silver Birch used in this project – why not drop us a line today? Call now on 0800 028 8756 and you too could turn your decking dreams into a reality today!

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A quick Google search for decking will fire back a surprising amount of results, featuring a wide variety of deck options for you to choose from.

As a result, picking out the decking material that’s right for you and your home can be a lot trickier than you might think.

To help you get to grips with each of these woody resources and, more importantly, the pros and cons of each, here’s a brief introduction into different types of decking.

Common Types of Decking

Decking boards come in a myriad of shapes, sizes and colours, offering an equally diverse range of attributes.

For years, the three main options for those looking to deck out their outdoor space were softwood decking, hardwood decking or plastic decking.

Unfortunately, none of these materials offered a comprehensive, long-term solution to domestic decking needs., as you can see below.

Softwood Decking

Softwood decking requires extensive maintenance to keep it in tip-top condition, necessitating regular staining and treating from year-to-year.

Even with such treatment, softwood decking may still warp and crack, while this material is also very absorbent, making it highly susceptible to mould and algae.

Meanwhile, traditional wood is also notably difficult to install at times, with knots in the wood a natural obstacle resulting in wasted materials.

Hardwood Decking

While hardwood decking may be a safer option than softwood decking, it will still need a lot of maintenance to keep its looks over time, requiring continued stripping, staining and oiling.

In addition to being time-consuming, this also involves the introduction of chemicals which can be harmful to the environment.

Much like softwood, hardwood decking can also be difficult to install and has the potential to split and splinter over time.

Plastic Decking

While plastic may seem like a synthetic solution to the above issues, they often not fit for purpose when it comes to weather-resistance and can become very slippery underfoot when wet.

What’s more, while they may benefit from less maintenance than traditional wood, they are also less sturdy and can bow and crack under stress.

Aesthetically, plastic decking also tends to look notably less impressive than wood, exuding a cheaper appearance that connotes a lack of quality.

Types of Composite Decking

While the above three options have many pitfalls in terms of appearance, practicality and upkeep, there is a better way to achieve your dream deck without the drawbacks.

Composite decking boasts all the aesthetic beauty of traditional wood decking with the low-maintenance benefits of synthetic materials, all with the added benefit of extreme durability and weather-resistance.

At DeckPlus, we specialise in composite decking and currently offer the following three avenues for you to explore when settling on the right material to suit your needs.

Hollow Composite Decking

The newest innovation to hit the decking market in recent years, hollow composite decking is a budget-friendly solution to your composite decking needs.

Hollow composite decking is markedly less expensive than other kinds of composite decking allowing those without a sizeable savings fund to deck out their garden in style.

They are also extremely eco-friendly, benefitting from the recycled aspect of its composition, while also using less material than solid composite decking.

Uncapped Composite Decking

A step up from hollow composite decking boards, non-capped composite decking offers virtually unrivalled durability and design flair with a low-maintenance lifespan.

Providing beautiful wood-look decking without the upkeep of the real thing, uncapped composite decking is fade, stain and abrasion-resistant.

Non-capped composite decking is also inherently slip-resistant, boasting an extremely low absorption rate for enhanced traction.

Capped Composite Decking

A step up from uncapped decking, capped composite decking is arguably the most comprehensive decking solution available on the market today.

Featuring a protective polymer sleeve for enhanced durability, capped decking is virtually impermeable to moisture, making it ideal even in wet conditions.

Ideal for pool and hot tub surrounds, spills and splashes can simply be wiped clean, while social gatherings involving food and drink are also no match for the awesome resilience of capped composite decking.

So, there you have it: a frank assessment of the main types of decking available on the market today. For more information on any of the decking types mentioned in this article or to find out more about hollow or solid decking at DeckPlus, call 0800 028 8756 now or get in touch online using the link below.

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When it comes to choosing which composite decking is right for you, choosing between the tried and tested solid option and the new hollow alternative can be a tough choice.

Both offer a variety of benefits in their own right that give them the upper hand in certain areas, but which one wins out overall?

Let’s find out as we take a closer look at them both in this ‘hollow vs solid decking’ head-to-head!

Solid Composite Decking

Available in a variety of designs and colour, solid composite decking comes in two primary forms: capped composite decking and uncapped composite decking.

Standard non-capped composite decking offers extreme durability, providing a long-lasting aesthetic that requires very little maintenance and upkeep.

Slip and stain resistant, each board is fundamentally designed to withstand the demands of the outdoors and is more than capable of handling a number of man-made obstacles as well, be it a family barbeque or a lively social gathering.

Meanwhile, capped composite decking offers all that and more, with the added benefit of enhanced moisture protection in the form of a protective polymer sleeve.

This gives each capped composite deck board an extremely low porosity, making them virtually impermeable to moisture, giving them added protection against stains and slips.

Perhaps most attractive of all, all solid composite decking comes with a 25 to 30-year warranty, with capped option even including fade and stain cover as standard.

Meanwhile, both are made from a combination of recycled hardwood and synthetic material, making them extremely eco-friendly.

Hollow Composite Decking

While it may have some big shoes to fill, hollow composite decking has a number of unique perks of its own.

Perhaps most obviously, an immediately noticeable difference between hollow and solid composite decking is the price tag that comes with them.

Hollow composite decking is notably less expensive than its solid counterpart, due predominantly to the fact that it uses less material by design.

Each hollow composite deck board features multiple hollow channels running through each plank, meaning they use considerably less material. This makes them extremely environmentally friendly, even more so than the solid version.

Despite the hollow composition, hollow composite decking is still inherently sturdy and hard-wearing, never requiring any wood treatment yet still providing all the stain and fade resistance of its solid competition.

They also provide a comfortable, lightweight surface to walk on, which can be preferable to some over the bulkier rigidity of the solid decking.

That being said, perhaps the main drawback of the hollow version in its battle with its solid opponent is the warranty. Hollow decking warranty is typically 5 to 10 years, as opposed to the 25 to 30 offered by the solid version.

Which is Better?

While both are designed for low-maintenance outdoor enjoyment, providing a wood-look aesthetic without the drawbacks of genuine timber, each option can make a solid argument (no pun intended) that puts them ahead in the opinion polls.

Solid composite decking has the edge in terms of long-lasting durability and variety of design; however, hollow composite decking is extremely eco-friendly and has a particularly attractive price point.

If budget is tight and cost is a concern, hollow decking will win all day, every day. However, if money is no object and long-lasting durability is top of the agenda, capped composite decking will long reign supreme.

Which Decking is Right for Me?

When deciding which is better for you, it can often come down to the wants and needs of the individual.

It’s worth considering your future plans when choosing which decking material is right for you. After all, would you buy top-of-the-range tyres for a car you plan on selling in a month’s time?

If you plan to stay in your home for the foreseeable future, it can make perfect sense to invest in a deck that lasts for decades to come.

Meanwhile, if you plan to relocate within the next decade, it may not be worth investing in a solid deck that’s designed to last 30 years.

Whether you want to use hollow or solid decking for your garden project, we have a huge range for you to choose from. All of our composite decking ranges are manufactured to the highest standards. Did you know you can now purchase everything you need including deck boards, trims and fittings directly through our website? Shop now!

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